Listen to the full episode here
The Setup for the Podcast:
I came across this story in John Maxwell’s book, “Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn,” and I love the story because it’s one of those stories that makes you check yourself during the hard times.
The story is of a young woman telling her dad how unfair and hard her life is. Instead of jumping in and saving the day (like all dads want to do-especially for the daughters), her dad walks over to the stove and puts 3 pots on the stove and begins to boil water in each of them.
(As I’m reading this, “I’m thinking Where in the hell is this going?”)
While the pots are heating up, dad puts carrots in one pot, eggs in another, and coffee beans in the 3rd.
When his daughter is done ranting, he walks her over to the pot and asks her, “Tell me what you see.”
I’m sure she thought her dad lost it because he boiled 3 odd ass things.
She tells him what she sees: Carrots, Eggs, and Coffee.
Her father agrees, but goes on to tell her to feel each one.
The carrot squishes in her hand…
The egg is hard boiled…
And the coffee beans turned the water in a rich, flavorful aroma.
and this is the parable moment…
He told her that all 3 were subjected to the same circumstances yet they all reacted differently.
The carrot grew soft…
The egg became hard…
and the coffee transformed the water.
Dad asks his daughter, “So which are you?”
When the heat turns up in your life, will you become soft, hard, or will you transform the entire environment.
My takeaway:
We all face hardships.
Every one of us.
And you have a choice to make.
Will you let your circumstances reduce you…or will you use the circumstances to transform you? I mean you’re already gonna go through it…
“It” is happening…so if you’re gonna go through “it” leverage that shit to make it work for you. (Pimp or be pimped)
I’ve seen so many people let life reduce them.
One guy I know was once a kingpin in sales, now he’s living on the street. And I say this not to point the finger, but instead to look in the mirror because if it can happen to a middle aged, debt free guy like him, then it can damn sure happen to me.
I think Life shows us tragedies of busted, bottom-outs, and death as a way to slap you awake and let you know this shit could happen to you too.
So we’ll all face hardship in our lives. And yes it is hard, but it’s necessary.
I know…it sucks. Why does necessary have to be so hard sometimes?
…and you can sit there and ask that powerless, often unanswerable question…or you can just coffee bean it up and make an espresso out of your current circumstances.
I like the parable because it’ll quickly re-center you when you are in the thick of things.
You can sit there and bitch…or you can ask yourself that one question? “So which are you?” How you answer determines the direction you take in life.
Stay in the Sales Life!
_marsh
The Sales Life with Marsh Buice 